Dave Barnett (Barney)

Ski Instructor, Courchevel

My Story

This will be my 12th season and I still love it! I still get so excited about the first snow fall and being back in the mountains. It is a beautiful place to work and play. Waiting for those special days when conditions are perfect and sharing them with friends or clients leaves you with no choice but to want more.

Something we don’t know about you

I drove from London to Mongolia in a fiat panda for charity.

Qualifications

BASI ISTD Level 4

Full French equivalence

Specialities

Gap (Instructor) training and off piste

Languages Spoken

English

French (basic)

Top Tip

“No guts, no glory.” Skiing isn’t meant to be scary so take your time to build confidence but you will have to push yourself to progress. Unfortunately skiing is a never ending learning process and whether it’s the first time on the chair lift you’re worried about, attempting a red run, or doing a backflip you will always have a little battle with yourself to achieve the intended goal. This is why it’s so important to have an instructor. The classic example is being taken somewhere too advanced for your ability by friends who are all good skiers. They told you they know a nice easy run, “you’ll be fine” they say and next thing you know your sat down thinking ****! You take your skis off, they start shouting at you and every one has a sense of humer failure and a mini melt down, thinking you could have been on a beach with a cocktail but your friends said that this would be fun. After this it is hard to recover your confidence. So know your limits and don’t get pressured into anything. Listen to the instructor. They will tell you where is good to practice and remember you’re on holiday.